Panthers destroy Giants 38-0; Big Blue helpless to prevent loss

Free Eli Manning. Not even a two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback can save the disaster that is the New York Giants.

So you would expect an 0-2 team coached by Tom Coughlin to come out disciplined and in desperation mode, because, well, that's who the Giants have been under Coughlin. But who they are now—0-3 after an inexcusable 38-0 embarrassment to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday—doesn't in any way resemble his best teams.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning was eating dirt all day, as the Carolina Panthers sacked him seven times in Carolina's 38-0 victory. (AP photo)

It's become a lot more than David Wilson fumbling and their running game doing nothing. And it's a lot bigger than the rash of interceptions from the streaky Manning. Here's the cold truth: The foundation of the Giants' success has crumbled, and with it, Manning is tumbling.

It's clear Manning has been trying to do too much. He's trying to take advantage of his talented wide receivers to make up for the defense's inability to stop anyone. But despite his elite credentials, Manning can't do much about his team playing from far behind in a one-dimensional offense, further sunk by bad play up front.

Manning came into the game having thrown a league-leading seven interceptions and already had been sacked four times after taking a league-low 20 in 2012. The Giants also were last in the NFL in rushing yards (73), and only because of late, meaningless production from Wilson, crawled to just 50 more on Sunday. Shoddy pass protection and shaky run blocking form the perfect storm of offensive line woes.

Manning traded in his picks for sacks against the Panthers. He did throw one more, but the real story was getting dropped seven times while completing just 12 of his 23 pass attempts.

Left tackle Will Beatty, whom the Giants gave a five-year deal worth $37.5 million in February, was struggling with penalties when he wasn't getting owned by Panthers right end Greg Hardy (three sacks). At right tackle, rookie Jordan Pugh has been thrown into the fire with longtime stalwart David Diehl out with a thumb injury. Their interior linemen, all 30 or older, have been showing their age and wear.

What it means is Manning staring down a lot of uncomfortable down-and-distances, and the big plays to Victor Cruz and other wideouts he loves just don’t have the same time to develop downfield. As someone who’s used to carrying this team, the weight of doing too much is getting to him.

As for Manning's counterparts, they have benefited from a lack of Giants' pressure. We're not forgetting how bad their defensive line has been, either. On Sunday, Cam Newton had plenty of time to pass and run to his choosing, as no one got to him for most of the day (one sack).

Remember when the Giants had an inexhaustible quiver of linemen who could rattle quarterbacks, inside and out? That's not happening, and it doesn't help their best ends—Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck—came into the season banged up. It's not just this year, either. It's been a trend of poor pass rushing that they have kind of ignored (Osi Umenyiora looks good about now, doesn’t he?) .

Consider the Giants had 48 sacks in 2011 (when they won the Super Bowl), fell to 33 in '12, and had just two after two games in '13. Make that three in three.

A year ago, the Giants also played at Carolina in Week 3. The result was the exact opposite—a 36-7 rout. While keeping Manning upright and rushing for chunks of yards, they also consistently harassed the big, elusive Newton.

It's now the Giants getting pushed around. Mental mistakes have piled up to the point that not even the cerebral Manning is immune.

We've seen the Giants pull out of dire situations late in the season. We've seen Coughlin go from the hot seat to becoming an all-time master motivator in the matter of a week or two. Topped off with a red-hot Manning, we've seen them ride a sudden December turnaround all the way to the top of the league.

Even though it's September and it's still early, they can't expect to pull themselves out of this one. More secondary injuries, they can overcome. But offensive line ineptitude and a lack of consistent, deep front-four pass rush are fundamental problems that are unfamiliar and not easily correctable.

The Giants have seen their strengths become weaknesses in a hurry, and for the short term, that means facing a long uphill battle they won’t win this time.